More and more SPRYTE is supporting large, multi-location independent physician practices. Margye got to learn all about their pain points at the Pennsylvania MGMA Healthcare Leader’s Summit. Can you imagine what was at the top of the list of pain points? Recruiting and retaining talent.

Recruiting and Retaining Talent is a Top Pain Point

With a tight labor market and the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, retention may be even more challenging than recruiting. Now, every employee has options never before imagined.

Retaining employees was a topic covered in the Conference Keynote Session, delivered by Leadership Expert Dr. Mary Kelly, a retired US Navy intelligence and logistics officer who spoke on “Leadership Prescriptions to Soar in 2019.”

Dr. Kelly asked the conferees three questions:

Have you ever wished that everyone would come to work focused and ready to perform?

Would you like your team to work more efficiently so you can leave the office earlier?

Do you want to know how to motivate your top talent, including physicians, so they are more productive?

The employee said, “I love my job and I love what I got to do. But I felt that the people around me didn’t even see me anymore. I felt like I was part of the furniture. I felt that they just assumed I would always be there to do everything I always handled. I stopped feeling appreciated years ago, but now I feel ignored. So, I am going to find another job.” Just being there year after year without evolving wasn’t enough for this individual and there are many people like this employed at independent medical practices everywhere.

The 5-Minute Appreciation Plan

As part of her Keynote Session, Dr. Kelly took attendees through “The 5-Minute Goal Setting Plan,” designed to help practice managers grow in all aspects of business leadership and management.

One segment of the talk focused on “The 5-Minute Appreciation Plan.”

Dr. Kelly says, “When thanking people, please remember to show appreciation for a specific action, in a way that resonates with the recipient, and in a manner that doesn’t come at the expense of others.” She shared 20 ways you can show appreciation to teammates, and employees. Here are SPRYTE’s three favorites:

Thank the person who alerts you to a problem. You cannot fix it if you don’t know about it.

Create a thank you white board or cork board, where people can publicly thank others for a specific action.

Encourage mental-health afternoons, where people are encouraged to get away from the office and do something fun and different.

According to Dr. Kelly, “If you are a manager or leader who wants to create a place where employees love to come to work, then you know that your employees want you to hear their ideas, understand their perspective and help them overcome organizational obstacles,”

Any commercial branding expert will tell you that employees are your number one brand ambassadors and that they have exponential potential to help you build a positive reputation for your practice in the community. These days you have to be more creative to keep employees. It might start with showing more appreciation but, there are many ways employees can be developed and engaged.

SPRYTE Communications has a depth of experience in employee communications and engagement programs. Our SPRYTE team appreciated how Dr. Kelly broke down the topic for medical practice managers. Now Margye is getting ready to represent SPRYTE at the New Jersey MGMA Practice Management Conference 2019, “Practice Management Roundup” in Atlantic City, New Jersey the first week of June.

We welcome the opportunity to chat with practice managers in need of communications support before then.